Couple arrested

Kendrapara: A 70-year-old man and his wife were arrested today in Kendrapara district of Odisha in connection with the killing of his brother and his two children on Tuesday last.With their arrest, the police claimed to have solved Tuesday’s triple murder at Talagaon village.

On october 2 midnight when his brother and children were in deep sleep, the accused sprinkled petrol on them and put them on fire while locking up the room from outside, Kendrapara Superintendent of Police, Sarthak Sadangi said.??

The charred bodies of Akshyaya Pattnaik (55) and his son and daughter – Kalindi (30) and Madhusmita (22) were recovered. It was greed for wealth and property that had driven accused Bijoy Pattnaik to kill his younger brother Akshyaya.

As his late father had disowned him and registered the landed property in favour of younger brother, it had turned him revengeful. He hatched a conspiracy with his spouse Rina to kill Akshyaya besides his son and daughter.

The accused Bijoy was childless from his first marriage. That?s why his late father transferred immovable property to his younger son Akshyaya. However, when he had a child from his second marriage a few years back, he sought his share of paternal property. But his plea was turned down by younger brother. That infuriated him and since the past one year, he along with his wife had planned the murder, Sadangi said.

The couple – Bijoy and Rina – have confessed to the crime. They were remanded to judicial custody under section 302 of Indian Penal Code, police said.